The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics that distinguish children with behavior disorders who drop out of psychotherapy treatment from those who remain in treatment. The sample included 379 children (268 male and 111 female) who were diagnosed with a behavior disorder at Dallas County Mental Health/Mental Retardation (MH/MR), a community mental health clinic in Dallas, Texas. The results indicated that certain characteristics increased the likelihood that a child would drop out of therapy, including reliance on aid, the presence of maternal psychopathology, and more severe externalizing and internalizing behaviors. This study also found that younger children with behavior disorders had a greater probability of dropping out of treatment. Minority status, gender, parent marital status, and referral source were not found to be associated with dropping out of treatment. Future studies should focus on specific interventions that clinicians could employ to deter premature termination from treatment.

Most counselors agree that the therapeutic relationship is essential in counseling. However, the current evidence-based treatment movement has resulted in a focus on treatment protocols and techniques in outcome research. Researchers have called for the inclusion of relationship variables in future outcome research. Child-centered play therapy (CCPT) is an empirically-supported, developmentally responsive intervention for children that emphasizes building a therapeutic relationship based on the philosophy of person-centered theory. Exploring the impact of the relationship on CCPT outcomes would be beneficial, but no current quantitative measure exists for obtaining the child’s view of the therapeutic relationship. The purpose of this study was to create a developmentally appropriate instrument to measure children’s perceptions of the therapeutic relationship. Established instrument development procedures were followed to create the Relationship Inventory for Children (RIC), a 15-item instrument for use in outcome research that measures the child’s perspective of the therapeutic relationship. Participants were 33 child experts who participated in interviews and preliminary testing of the instrument as well as 100 children whose scores on the 31-item pilot instrument were submitted to exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Children (62% male) ranged in age from 6 to 9 years (M = 6.92) and 53% identified as Caucasian, 14% as Hispanic, 14% as African American, 2% as Asian American, 0.8% as Native American, 8% as Multiracial, and 9% unreported. The EFA resulted in three factors: Positive Regard, Unconditional Acceptance, and Empathy. Implications for further development of the RIC, for use of the RIC in research, and for application of the RIC to person-centered theory are discussed.

M.Cur.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-28T20:38:41Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Rosalba Filipini.pdf: 1686876 bytes, checksum: 48edf5539a935203ac509d9c908f4785 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-05-17 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / This is a theoretical analysis of the fundamentals of Psychodrama with children. Being a conceptual work and focused on a specific form of psychodrama, literary production in this field was consulted and the practice in psychotherapy with children was analyzed. The goal was to discuss the structure and practice of psychodramatic psychotherapy with children, analyzing how the authors have been performing this type of work, in which aspects there is agreement and / or disagreement and the range, limits and specifics facing the proposed psychodramatic psychotherapy created by J. L. Moreno. The reflection on theory and infant clinical practice can contribute to the scientific, clinical and academic community, providing subsidies on professional practice. The analysis revealed that there is a division between psychodramatists working with children: those who seek other theoretical references and those who believe that the socionomics theory has a theoretical and practical framework underlying the psychotherapeutic work. There is unanimity in conceiving that preschoolers do not reverse roles: that the students need greater warming for dramatic action, as in psychotherapy with adults, as well as they benefit from psychodrama techniques.The technique of double-mirroring is an authors proposal, which is made possible when the counter-role played by the psychotherapist has symmetry with the role played by the child. Psychotherapy seeks the realization of a dramatic project that is co-built between child and psychotherapist. Sharing is understood as an existing and important stage in their psychotherapeutic process. Through discussion of the practice of psychodramatic psychotherapy with children, it was considered that the theory of spontaneity and creativity, sociometry, the role theory and the theory of the moment, offer subsidies to dramatic action and to the understanding of the process of child psychotherapy / Trata-se de um trabalho teórico de análise dos fundamentos do Psicodrama com crianças. Sendo um trabalho conceitual e focado em uma modalidade específica do psicodrama, foram consultadas as produções literárias da área e analisada a prática psicodramática com crianças. O objetivo foi discutir a estrutura e prática da psicoterapia psicodramática com crianças, analisando como os autores têm realizado essa modalidade de trabalho, em que aspectos há concordância e/ou divergência e qual o alcance, limites e especificidades diante da proposta de psicoterapia psicodramática criada por J. L. Moreno. A reflexão sobre a teoria e a prática clínica infantil pode contribuir com a comunidade científica, clínica e acadêmica, propiciando subsídios sobre a prática profissional. A análie evidenciou que há uma divisão entre os psicodramatistas que trabalham com crianças: os que buscam outros referenciais teóricos e os que consideram que a teoria socionômica tem uma estrutura teórica e prática que fundamentam o trabalho psicoterápico. Há unanimidade em conceber que crianças pré-escolares não invertem papéis; que as escolares necessitam de maior aquecimento para a ação dramática, tal como na psicoterapia com adultos, bem como se beneficiam das técnicas psicodramáticas. A técnica do duplo-espelho é uma proposta da autora, a qual é possibilitada quando o contrapapel exercido pelo psicoterapeuta tem simetria com o papel exercido pela criança. A psicoterapia busca a realização de um projeto dramático que é coconstruído entre criança e psicoterapeuta. O compartilhar é entendido como uma etapa existente e importante no processo psicoterápico delas. Por meio da discussão da prática da psicoterapia psicodramática com crianças, considerou-se que a teoria da espontaneidade e criatividade, a sociometria, a teoria de papéis e a teoria do momento, oferecem subsídios para a ação dramática e para a compreensão do processo psicoterápico da criança

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This dissertation uses a modified systematic literature review to look at working with parents and carers within child and adolescent psychotherapy, and to consider this tasks relationship to therapeutic outcomes for children and adolescents. The topic is important because psychotherapy with children and adolescents inevitably involves additional relationships. The literature indicates the way this undertaking has been regarded has varied through the history of psychodynamic child and adolescent psychotherapy. Numerous writers reflect on the ongoing neglect and absence of systematic thinking in relation to the task of work with parents and carers. This lack of attention is understood to have been influenced by the traditional model of child and adolescent psychotherapy where the source of the child or adolescent’s distress or difficulty was regarded as being primarily intrapsychic. What is now known regarding the current and active nature of the child or adolescent’s relationship with the parent or carer, and the power and persistence of the parent-child bond has resulted in an acknowledgement of the need for a more equitable balance of focus between internal and external factors. In acknowledging that the external can no longer be seen as peripheral there are compelling clinical reasons to work with parents and carers. This undertaking should not be seen as dependant on the therapist’s orientation or interest. The significant scope of possibilities for work with parents and carers within child and adolescent psychotherapy is explored; however there is a lack of data relating to the clinical effectiveness of these approaches. The future need is for systematic thinking, and the development of practice guidelines for this clinical task.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-150). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 2000. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 143-150). Available also in a digital version from Dissertation Abstracts.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Texas at Austin, 1998. / Vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 281-292).

Thesis (Psy. D.)--Wheaton College Graduate School, 2002. / Abstract. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 38-45).